Uttarakhand govt. cancels Kanwar Yatra owing to COVID-19, say sources
The Hindu
It is for the second consecutive year that the yatra is not being held due to the pandemic.
Uttarakhand has decided to cancel the Kanwar Yatra in view of the COVID-19 situation, “giving top priotity to the protection of human life,” according to an official statement. The decision was taken by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami following a meeting with senior state officials on Tuesday evening. “In the meeting, a detailed discussion was held on the occurrence of the delta plus variant of COVID, the possibility of a third wave and its effects in the country and abroad. The opinion of experts in this regard was also considered,” said the statement issued after the meeting. The Chief Minister directed the Home Secretary and Director General of Police to take appropriate action. He also directed that the officials of neighbouring states should be requested to coordinate and take effective action so that they can be successful in stopping the pandemic.The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.